TikTok launched a new wave of generative AI tools to help marketers rapidly create custom video content, using just product images or short text prompts.
Driving the news. As part of its Symphony suite, TikTok now offers image-to-video and text-to-video capabilities, allowing marketers to turn still visuals or written prompts into five-second branded clips. The tools are built directly into TikTok and are also being integrated with Adobe Express and WPP Open, expanding their reach beyond the app.
TikTok’s Symphony Showcase Products feature lets advertisers generate lifelike videos with AI avatars that can hold products, demo apps, or model clothing based on a visual and brief description.
Why we care. By turning static images or text prompts into polished videos – complete with lifelike avatars – marketers can test more creative variations, react faster to trends, and stretch their budgets further. Plus, integration with platforms like Adobe Express and WPP Open means these tools can fit directly into existing creative workflows.
Beyond the app:
- The image-to-video tool is now available via Adobe Express through the Symphony Assistant plug-in.
- WPP’s AI platform WPP Open will offer access to Symphony Dubbing, Digital Avatars, and video remixing tools, but not the new Showcase Products feature.
Yes, but: All AI-generated videos will be clearly labeled and undergo multiple rounds of safety reviews, TikTok said. Viewer privacy and content integrity remain key concerns.
The backdrop. TikTok faces a June 19 deadline to divest from parent company ByteDance or risk a nationwide ban in the U.S. While some investors have expressed interest, no deal has materialized. President Trump has hinted at another deadline extension.
What’s next. As TikTok pushes into creative automation, rivals are watching closely and hoping to catch any ad dollars that might shift in the event of a U.S. crackdown.